Eighteen Years a Hero
by romanitas
Summary: It's Annabeth's birthday. Everyone celebrates.


a giant love letter to annabeth chase

* * *

><p>Annabeth grumbles herself awake and finds herself blinking blearily at Hazel.<p>

"Give her a second," comes Piper's extremely amused voice, and Hazel bites her lip to hold back her own laugh. Annabeth mumbles something incoherent and tries to roll back over, but Piper is having none of it. "Rise and shine, smartypants!" she says cheerfully, ripping the blankets away.

"What do you both _want_, and Hazel, what are you even doing here?" She covers her eyes with her hands, blocking out the brightness of the sun. Piper wraps her fingers around her friend's wrists and tugs, pulling her up into a seated position.

"If you really have absolutely no idea, then I question your legitimacy as a daughter of Athena."

"Shadow travelling is really convenient, you know."

Annabeth does know. And she knows they're planning something, because, well, it's not every day a demigod turns eighteen. It's a big number. She rolls out of bed at last, and by the time she's dressed and ready to go, she's wide awake. Just before she steps out, Piper covers her eyes and Hazel takes her hand.

"Is this really necessary?"

"Yes!" They even say so in unison, before guiding her out the door of her cabin and down into the grass. It's only once she _is_ outside does Annabeth realize her entire cabin was silent and empty, which means her siblings are doubtless involved in whatever Piper and Hazel have planned. But they don't free up her vision, tugging her further from her cabin, where she can hear hushed chatter from her fellow campers and wonders with increased frustration just how many people her friends have gotten involved in this.

Finally, the two younger girls stop her suddenly, and even though she can't see a thing, she knows they're smiling like idiots.

Piper pulls her hands back and throws her arms up in the air. "Happy Birthday Annabeth!"

She has to blink a few times to adjust to the light, and maybe to just - observe. Because the entire field between all the cabins is decorated in silvers and owls and multicolored Christmas lights, stringed around on - well, anything and everything. But it goes beyond that. The dining pavilion in the distance is decorated too, the same mix of an Athena theme and haphazard chic. Her mouth actually falls open as more birthday wishes get shouted her way, and Piper wraps her arm around her waist in a hug.

"It's not too much, right? I told Hazel maybe nix the Christmas lights -"

Hazel's arm comes around next. "And you were wrong, because they look amazing. Do you know how hard it was to find silver ones?"

Piper leans in conspiringly. "Not hard. We got Leo to do it."

Annabeth can't seem to string any words together for the moment, so she does the next best thing: throws her arms around them both and pulls them closer, shoving her face into their shoulders, because it feels beat red and she's not equipped to handle that right now. Piper and Hazel return the hug in kind, wishing her happy birthday again, but they're just kind of a pile of limbs as she mutters a thank you to them both.

Piper's the one who pulls away first, planting her hands firmly on her friend's shoulders. "We're not gonna sit here all morning, Miss Chase. We have a party to get to."

* * *

><p>Honestly she still doesn't really know how to handle it. All her siblings attack her in a giant dogpile of a hug, Malcolm at the center where he kisses her forehead and apologizes in advance - for what, he doesn't say, but she does promise to kick his ass if necessary.<p>

Clarisse punches her in the arm, which as close to a hug as she's probably going to get, but she slips a small pocket knife into her hand, with a warning of "Don't open it now." It's not wrapped.

Rachel swoops in, links her arm and acts like a tour guide as they make the rounds between the cabins. She makes vague and mysterious promises about a present and makes her promise to swing by the cave later, pointing out unnecessarily all the decor that bears her signature and design.

There are games and swordfights, rock climbing challenges, flying horse races - the whole set up is one giant party and celebration, all in her honor. All of Camp Half-Blood (and some Romans) are here, for her. They're celebrating _her. _She's never doubted she belonged here, not once, but she can't really remember the last time she felt so loved.

* * *

><p>Leo struts over with Jason on his heels, flicking his suspenders. "Just wait till you see what I did to the cake," he offers impishly. "I guarantee you've never seen anything like it before."<p>

He's telling the truth, but not entirely. She stares him down, and just before he breaks, Jason speaks up. "Uh, you don't actually have to worry about exploding pastries, Annabeth. I did most of the work."

She's relieved, after that. Though she didn't really know Jason could bake.

She gets roped into a footrace with the Stoll brothers, dashing easily into first place and smugly high-fiving them both in her victory. One of the campers from Hecate tries to race her next, but her preoccupation with a certain no-show demigod distracts her to the point of decline. It's almost lunchtime, and she hasn't seen him yet. Maybe he jumped in the ocean (which would make it easier on her, since that's where she's going to throw him if he doesn't show his dumb face).

Annabeth is making her way for the dining pavilion when she quite literally almost runs into Nico, slipping out of the shadows. She blinks at him in surprise, and he shoves his hands into his pockets.

"Hazel invited me," he mutters, but she just smiles.

"There's cake, though apparently it might explode."

Nico looks at her aghast, and she laughs. She's in too good a mood to hold it back. "Just be prepared for anything," she offers.

"You, too," he mutters, making to walk off. He hesitates, then glances over his shoulder at her. "Happy Birthday."

He hurries away quickly enough that she's not entirely sure he heard her thank you. In the distance she spots Hazel, waving at her brother and jogging towards him.

She leaves them be and continues towards the mess hall, to stave off her growing hunger. A pair of arms encircle her from behind, and before Percy even pulls her against his chest, she's smiling like a moron. She elbows him in the gut before resting her hands on his. "It's about time."

He leans around and kisses her cheek. "I was busy."

"You're gonna need a better excuse than that," she grumps.

His lips brush over her jaw, briefly and dangerously close to that one spot under her ear. "I'll make it up to you. But you gotta come to my cabin later."

"Was that a proposition, Percy Jackson?"

"Uh, no, I don't have a ring."

She elbows him again. "You know what I mean."

"You'll have to find out," he taunts, spinning her around so he can cup her face and kiss her properly. And then he shoves her away and starts running, giving himself a head start. "Race you to lunch!"

Tyson joins them for food - they sit on the grass, just outside the pavilion. The two of them provide her with entertainment as they attempt to throw m&ms in each other's mouths, and then strawberries, and then whole sandwiches, and before long, she literally just falls backward to laugh at the sky. Tyson shyly holds out a shield - well, it's wrapped up in mismatched paper and tape, but the shape beneath the packaging is too obvious to miss. Still, when she rips off the paper, Annabeth puts on a smile that isn't any bit fake.

"Tyson, this is amazing!" She tackles him with a hug and he blushes, offering brief explanations as to each image he's carved and painted on.

She uses it later, for the first time, during a sparring match with Reyna. Nearly the whole camp shows up to watch, and Annabeth spots Frank for the first time on the sidelines, waving awkwardly. She won't blame him for taking any bets against or for his fellow praetor.

Reyna is calculated wildness, and they've sparred before - but Annabeth loves it. There aren't a lot of people who can keep up with her at this point, and the Praetor of Rome is certainly one of them.

Sparring brings Annabeth to life. She is a daughter of war, and wielding her drakon bone sword in this fight reminds her of just how far she's come. Of where she was exactly one year ago, how much she's accomplished. How very much _alive_ she still is. Reyna is steel and softness, and Annabeth can see that life in her opponent too. Every time they lock eyes and their weapons clang, Annabeth can feel their kindred spirits, and she's grateful for a simple cup of hot cocoa that started them on this path.

Today, Annabeth wins the match. "Birthday luck," Reyna remarks, but she grabs her friend into a fierce hug and whispers a _happy birthday_ in her ear. They celebrate with a pitstop at the mess hall for some hot chocolate - not the best idea in the middle of summer, but it's kind of tradition for them, not to be broken.

She manages to drag Reyna down to the beach for a swim afterwards - Piper and Hazel join them, and the three of them combined is somehow enough to get the mighty Roman praetor to play a game of chicken with Hazel on her shoulders. They lose track of the numbers, Hazel and Piper constantly one-upping each other, Annabeth and Reyna on the bottom playing dirty.

When they get a little too waterlogged, they start wading out of the water. Only the current tugs at Annabeth's ankle and she goes under. She thinks she hears Reyna gasp with concern, but Piper waves it off as a normal occurrence.

Annabeth finds herself breathing easily in a bubble, face-to-face with her idiot boyfriend as he tugs her closer. "You know, it's nice having a whole party all about you, but it makes it very hard to actually _see_ you."

"My time is precious today, Percy. I hope you don't intend to waste it."

"Never," he promises. He keeps his word, though they don't use any words. The bubble is special. It's theirs. It cuts out the rest of the world, whether for good reasons or bad. They spend a little more time than she intended under the water, because by the time they both come splashing out of the surf, Piper is tapping her fingers expectantly on her arm, and Leo lets out a low, suggestive whistle.

"You're holding us up, Barnacle Boy," Piper says, taking Annabeth by the hand and pulling her other out of Percy's. He trails after them like an abandoned puppy, but Piper just swings her friend's hand without a care in the world. Annabeth laughs out an apology while Percy complains about how unfair it all is that he can't even hold his girlfriend's hand.

Piper drags her towards the Big House, where Frank comes down the stairs carrying an enormous cake. He stumbles on the bottom step, but manages to catch himself well enough to save it from smushing on the ground. Dionysus waves his hand from the porch, "Yes, yes, Happy Birthday, Annaliese."

Percy hurries over, and the two of them take the cake to the dining pavilion, setting it front and center. Leo lights up the candles, and Tyson starts singing happy birthday too soon - the lyrics come out in a hodgepodge of echoes and out of tune from all the spectators, but Percy makes sure his final "to yoooooou!" extends the longest, and he claps the loudest when she blows out all the candles.

And then the cake really does explode.

Only it's not the cake - it's the candles. They shoot up strings of silver confetti, raining down on everyone in a ten foot radius. "Leo Valdez!" Annabeth scolds through her laughter.

Through the haze of confetti, Annabeth squints, a familiar figure approaching. Her heart jumps and she rushes in, meeting the new arrival partway and throwing her arms around Thalia, lifting her up and spinning her around.

"Hey, hey!" she starts, grinning. "I'm immortal, not unbreakable!"

"You made it," Annabeth says, like she can't quite believe it. The more time Thalia spends immortal, the harder it seems for her to keep track of normal time.

"One of us had to make it to eighteen," she says softly, and the spinning stills, the two of them just standing tight in an embrace. Annabeth knows she's not as close to Thalia as she used to be - time and circumstances are to blame - but she's still the first family Annabeth had that loved her. They walk back over to the crowd and start doling out pieces of cake. Percy wipes some icing on Thalia's face, then Annabeth's, and Rachel steps in before the entire cake goes to waste.

Despite not looking big enough, every single person who wants some, gets a piece of cake. Percy has three and a half slices - shares the second half with Annabeth as she reaches up to pull a sliver of silver confetti out of his hair. He kisses her once, but she gets a mouthful of icing. "Augh, Percy!" she scolds, trying not to laugh as she pushes him away.

Everyone starts piling towards the amphitheatre. People wave her over to come sit by them, but she just waves her declines in favor of a spot saved between Percy and Rachel.

Grover leads the campfire singalong. Before they start, he runs over for a hug, pulling Annabeth to him tight. "Sorry I'm so late," he says, and for most of the day, this is where people have let her go. But Grover stays there. Annabeth thinks she knows why, making most words unnecessary.

He sniffles. "I remember when you were like, this tall," he says quietly, making a low gesture.

She kisses the top of his head. "I wouldn't be here now without you, you know. Thank you, Grover."

They're both about to start crying, so they pull apart and shout about singing. Soon, nearly everyone is bursting lyrically, though by the end, when Annabeth's slumped against Percy's shoulder, the campfire lights up to the tune of the happy birthday song, and she just can't stop smiling.

Leo stands up and claps his hands to get everyone's attention. "And if all you Greeks and Romans alike would _kindly_ make your way for the beach, the Hephaestus cabin has got a hell of a show for you tonight!"

Just when she thinks they couldn't possible have done anything else, there's more. She's starting to feel overwhelmed emotionally, drained, but in a good way for once. She and Percy join the crowds heading down, but a slight and polite cough stops them both.

"Miss Chase, if I may borrow you for a moment?"

Annabeth stops short, blinking up at Chiron. "Um, sure." And she shoves Percy away, giving him a look that tells him she'll meet him by the sand.

His tail flicks a little nervously, and one of his hooves clacks against the ground. "I know Camp Half-Blood means a lot to you," he starts, making sure to look her in the eyes. "But I hope you know how much you mean to it too."

Her throat dries up and she closes her eyes for a moment. And then she steps in, wrapping her arms around Chiron. She's lost track of how often she's hugged people today - which is weird, because she's never been much of a huggy person. "Thank you," she whispers, every amount of gratitude and appreciation and love for the last ten years of her life pouring out with the words, and she buries her face against him to hide it.

"Happy Birthday, my dear. I'm so very proud of you."

When she finally makes it to the beach, Percy looks at her face knowingly, but he only kisses her on the nose as he pulls her down onto the blanket next to him.

If he was expecting solitary confinement, he's once again mistaken. Piper flops over next to Annabeth, dragging Jason down behind her and chattering away about what she thinks the fireworks'll be like. Frank sits down nimbly, bumping Annabeth's shoulder and she beams brightly at him. Hazel skids in next, smile bright as her eyes as she settles at the bottom of the blanket. She thinks that's all of them, but Leo saunters in with barely any time to spare, nearly crash landing on Frank as the first explosion goes off overhead.

They spell out her name: **HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNABETH**

She really is overwhelmed. She spares a glance up and down the beach, looking over her fellow campers as they party it up in her name, mulling over Chiron's words, over and over. This is her home. Camp Half-Blood means everything to her, and she'd do anything for it. Today is the first time it really hits her just how much they'd do for her, too.

The fireworks die off in a final grand display, and the beach empties one by one, until only Percy and Annabeth are left. For a while, they just sit in silence, listening to the waves crash in as the last of the day-long celebrations fade away.

Percy kisses the top of her head. "C'mon. I have a present for you." And he tugs her up, snatching the blanket as he walks them both for the Poseidon cabin. Usually she'd have to sneak inside, but tonight no one seems to care.

He suddenly looks nervous once they're both in, asking her to sit and wait on his bed. It takes him another minute or so to psych himself up, before he pulls out a box, setting in beside her with a sigh. It's like he lost the ability to speak - a shock, really - the way he just nods at it, and she slowly and tentatively starts opening it.

She blinks at it. It's… a mailbox? She pulls it out and turns it over in her hands. It looks handmade - and not very well (the flap is going to fall off in the first bad storm), but there's something painstakingly Percy about it, that even when she asks her question, she knows the answer.

"Did you make this?"

Percy rubs the back of his head. "Well. I tried to."

She doesn't get it though. "Why… a mailbox?"

He looks even more awkward. "It's, uh. For the town. The one we're gonna start. I just wanted to… start it?"

Annabeth stands up to meet his gaze more evenly, and he fidgets. "It's still only in the planning stages."

"I know!" he hastens, grabbing her hands without thinking. "But it'll be ours. I mean, the mailbox - the mailbox is ours. It's kinda like - you know, the first step? Only not at all, because you need a _house_ before you need a mailbox - well, technically not all the time, I guess but -"

"Percy."

He stops, worried he's gone too far. "It's yours. It's for you. A home, for you. Because you can do it, and you're going to."

She doesn't say a word. Just leans in and kisses him, letting go of his hands to grab his face. His hands fly to her waist, tugging her close as he kisses her back with every bit of love he has for her pouring out in it. When she pulls back, he presses his forehead to hers. "Happy Birthday, Annabeth."

"We'll have to fix it up," she says, mailbox implied but not looked at by either of them. His face brightens. "But we can do that part together."

Annabeth is eighteen years old, and some days she feels like she's already lived a million lives. But tonight she is celebrating the success of just eighteen of them, and reaching this point makes her feel like she could easily do another eighteen more.

Her home, her family, is more inclusive now than it ever was.

* * *

><p>originally posted on ao3 in july, around annabeth's birthday! and thus also written before blood of olympus<p> 


End file.
